Camp Green Lane Blog Post

Today was about more than sports.

A big part of Color War is spent competing on fields and courts. Each cabin spends a lot of the week playing traditional sports during cabin activities. Basketball and hockey and soccer help to decide a portion of it all, but Color War is more than just baskets and goals and hustle and speed.

Days like today are a reminder that Color War at Camp Green Lane is all encompassing. Days like today remind you that the simplest tasks, like tying your shoes, can help to swing the score one way or the other. Days like today also clear a path to recognize new heroes and incredible performances far from the athletic fields—for doing something like spelling a word correctly.

Today after lunch, the Green and White competed in the generations-old game of All God’s Children, a massive race held on BB1 by division. Campers (and then counselors) line each sideline of the basketball court and take off their shoes. Sneakers are tossed all over the court, and the team that finds its shoes, ties the laces and gets back in line first wins. Many of you at home have fond memories of the game.

For those last remaining players on the court searching for their shoes or pulling their laces tight, it can be a heart-pounding experience!

As exciting as All God’s Children can be, the energy was turned up to a different level when the annual Spelling Bee was held in the Globe later in the day.

With three former champions in play, this year’s Bee was billed as a heavyweight battle. White had former champions Patrick Buerke (2021) and Katie Morton (2022), and Green sent out Ben Elliott (2019) for the anticipated event.

The Spelling Bee is a 10 vs.10 competition. One camper from each division is selected to participate, as well as two staff members per side. Recruiting typically takes place during meals when captains go from table to table asking, “Who’s a really good speller?”

Contestants received a total of 35 words from head judge Max Frantz, which got progressively harder.

Awkward.

Universal.

Tragedy.

Obstacle.

Bacteria.

Qualified.

Brilliant.

Obedient.

With each correct answer, the assembled crowd gets progressively louder and more supportive. It’s truly a pins-and-needles experience for everyone involved.

“The microphone is so sweaty!” one contestant said when she took it from another.

Finally, four competitors remained. The three former champions, and Green Gamma girl Julia Koss.

Unenforceable.

Vivacious.

Precocious.

Indulgence.

(The crowd went nuts on that one.)

All four contestants tripped up on the spelling of vacillate.

Patrick knocked out Ben on the next word, malfeasance. The crowd erupted like he just drained a game-winning three.

And finally, after 35 words and seven competitors were eliminated, the tandem of Patrick and Katie proved to be too much.

Dichotomy.

White Wins. Bedlam.

Tonight, the Globe will be center stage again when the Green and White act out their Campfire Skits. And then tomorrow, sadly, Color War comes to a close with tugs of war, the Steeplechase and finally, Sing Night.

You can feel the War coming to an end.

And with that, the end of the summer is not far off either.